Shutter Island: Revisited
by MissScaryKitty
Summary: Andrew was not cured and thousands of taxpayers dollars were wasted. Emily Porter is sent from the governor's office to write a report on the practices on Shutter Island. What she finds there is something far more disturbing than misplaced grant money.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

There were questions that needed to be answered. That's what I was told by my boss, B.J. Thomas, before being pushed on a ferry to Shutter Island, my PA being dragged in toe. I had been inquiring about a job at the office, a real job that was actually worthy of my college credentials. I suppose I had complained enough because they did give me a job. It was clear, however, that they meant for this one to be my last. The tactic they decided to use to make sure that it was, was to scare the dumb broad, aka me, into never asking for something ever again. I was too proud to back off of the assignment though. So there I was, sitting on a rocking boat in open water; the fog so thick that I couldn't see anything within a ten foot radius.

The manacles and chains in the cabin rattled from the bobbing and rocking of the boat. I didn't want to sit in there. My PA didn't even want to look at it. She stood at the front of the boat looking out at the white wall of fog, her knees practically knocking together from fear. I sat down on a bench that was nailed to the outside of the cabin. The deck was wet and I didn't want to slip in my heels. That would not make for a good first impression. I already knew I was going to get heckled because I was a woman; didn't need to give them a reason to look down on me more than they already did. But in all honesty, they were in no position to be criticizing anyone.

The doctors on Shutter Island were running amok and someone needed to start telling the truth, the whole truth. The Andrew Laeddis aka Teddy Daniels project had been a failure; no, that wasn't quite right… a bureaucratic nightmare. There was a huge government investment riding on the hopes that the experts on Shutter Island could be successful with this patient of theirs. However, a year and thousands of dollars in government grants later we get a notice down at the governor's office that there was no progress. Ashcliffe Mental Penitentiary looked like a joke. The governor was the one who gave them the money, so he too looked like a joke. Thousands of taxpayer's dollars wasted, a governor's name tarnished. Voters don't forget that sort of thing.

It was now up to my trusty PA and I to get some straight answers for Mr. Thomas back in the governor's office, specifically on where all that grant money was spent. It was my job to assess the practices at Ashcliffe and write up a report that will determine its future… or not-future for that matter. All that would come later though because at the moment, I was on a boat that looked like it was headed for nowhere. I pulled my coat closer around me as I gazed over the railing at the white haze.

**AN:** Hey guys! It's midterms week and I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. So I decided to escape to the land of Shutter Island fanfiction for a while. If you like this story PLEASE tell me. There's nothing more depressing than getting no feedback. Also I have midterms as I said, and if this thing isn't worth my while (aka you not liking it) then I probably won't continue it.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: (Kinda Important) Hey guys thanks to all who reviewed! After seeing the movie I was just floored. I loved it. And then I thought of an interesting concept and I had to write it. There is mostlikely going to be a pairing with Emily and one of the characters in this story as well. If so, I might up the rating to an M. Hopefully that's okay for all of you (let me know).

**Chapter 2**

I could see the silhouette of the island in the distance. It had appeared out of the fog like a ghost. My stomach did a bit of a flip at the eerie sight. The island itself looked like a fortress. Its' vertical cliffs that seemed to rise up out of the water and its' jagged rock shores intimidated me. The closer we came to Shutter Island, the smaller I was beginning to feel.

I told myself that I had to be strong, that if I backed down now I would never be given another opportunity to prove myself again. My career was on the line and honestly it was the only thing that I really had. My apartment is a one bedroom one bath; it's the polite way of saying that I live alone. That's not to say that I don't date, it's just that settling down with a man was not on the top of my to-do list. I have a cat named Alice and no family left. My mother had passed away from lung cancer after I graduated college and my father had died just last year but we weren't close. I had attended his funeral in July.

Betty, his second wife, had invited me to come down to El Paso for the wake and I had felt obligated to go. Most of the people there didn't know who I was, which was understandable considering that I hadn't seen him since he left Chicago when I was fifteen. Why he chose to move down to El Paso, Texas I would never know. I grew up in Chicago so I was used to the rain, the noisy traffic, and the tall buildings. All the guests at the funeral, which again were all strangers, would refer to me as the 'city girl' and would comment on my supposedly funny accent. I was an outcast in a sea of strangers. Sometimes you feel the loneliest when you are surrounded by people. That funeral made me realize that I had absolutely no family left. I am alone, the big city girl surviving on her own in Boston. To put it simply, it was a long and torturous weekend that I wanted to forget.

But back to my current predicament; Ashcliffe was just a mental penitentiary, nothing more. It had its quirks and it's catches but it wasn't life threatening or anything like that. I was stronger than this; I grew up in Chicago, taking care of my sickly mother for the better half of my life. There was no reason for me to be afraid of Ashcliffe Mental Penitentiary. All I had to do was put on a straight face and take charge. After it was all over, all my hard work would pay off. This was a door that had been opened to me, albeit accidentally, but a door none the less. If I could just prove them wrong and write up a groundbreaking report then they would almost have no choice other than to promote me.

My PA, Annie Blunt, backed away from the front of the boat and sat down beside me on the bench. She looked over at me,

"I hope they got all the patients under control after the hurricane."

I nodded with an amused laugh, "Yeah, me too."

This didn't seem to help calm Annie any because she was nervously playing with the folds in her skirt. What I said obviously wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.

I gave her a lopsided grin and added, "I don't think they'd let us step foot on that island if they weren't at least somewhat prepared."

Annie forced a small smile and nodded, not saying anything. I felt bad for her. She's worked with me for half a year without so much as having to keep a date book and now this. The bosses back at the office could play these jokes on me but they should have taken mercy on her. After all, she didn't ask for any of it... I did.

The boat then lightly bumped into the dock and one of the workers cast out a line for a guard on the dock to catch. I nudged Annie's side and stood up from the bench,

"Hey, time to go."

Annie quickly nodded and stood up; her hands were shaking.

There was a group of men on the shore that were waiting to meet us. Most of them looked like security personnel but there was also a small group of suits as well. Apparently this was the welcoming committee.

We headed to the back of the boat. Glancing behind me I saw Annie inching forwards with a painful expression of anxiety. One of the guards on the dock stepped forwards to help me off of the rocking boat.

"Miss," he addressed me as he held out his hand.

Standing there on the edge of the boat, the wind whipping my clothes and hair around me, I suddenly got a strange idea. Turning to my PA I said,

"You know, how about I take it from here okay? I can manage this on my own."

Annie looked like she was going to kiss me she was so relieved,

"Are you sure?" She asked, hoping to god that I wouldn't change my mind. I gave her a reassuring smile,

"Yeah I'm sure. You go home, okay?"

"Thank you Emily." She said trying not to gush all over me. For some reason I felt strangely compelled to go on this assignment alone.

"You ladies coming?" The guard on the dock asked. I let out an annoyed sigh at the man's impatience and turned around to face him.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I said then reaching out and taking his hand. I thanked him and headed down the dock towards the group of men. The guard who had helped me off the ferry hurried up behind me, not expecting me to just keep going once off the boat.

My heels clicked on the uneven wood as I made my way over to the men in suits. There were three of them, two older men and one younger one who looked around my age.

TBC

Hope you all liked it! Please remember to review... it makes me write faster. The real action is coming up next!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Reaching the welcoming committee at the end of the dock, I took in a strong breath and put on the most professional attitude I could manage.

"Hello, I'm Emily Porter." I introduced myself, extended my hand out and shook with the three doctors down the line. Each one introduced themselves in turn.

"I'm Dr. Crowley, head of staff here on Shutter Island." He said in a posh British accent. He seemed very reserved and somewhat on the defensive. It was clear that he knew what trouble they were in. If the axe came down it would fall on all of them. No doubt he would be very difficult to work with throughout my duration on the island.

The next man introduced himself as Dr. Naehring, clearly Crowley's second in command even though he only alluded to it. He somewhat hid behind the head doctor. What he said and his actions were very short and subdued, perhaps trying to hide that German accent of his. He should know that I was a social worker and fought against the prejudices of such things. Perhaps he concealed it out of habit. Regardless, he seemed like a major figure in the operations of the Asylum. I would have to find out why he was being so modest about it.

Then there was the younger man who appeared to be of no potential threat. His was the only presence that surprised me. He was far too young to be one of the heads of the asylum so god only knows why they drug him out here in the miserable cold to meet me.

He shook my hand, giving me a kind smile that warmed me a bit,

"I'm Dr. Sheehan, Andrew's primary; it's nice to meet you Miss Porter."

I blinked in a bit of surprise. Laeddis's Primary- well, the mystery of why he was here was solved. Why they felt the need to introduce him to me now wasn't exactly clear. But then again they were doctors of a mental penitentiary, things most likely run a bit differently here.

There was a look in his eyes, an emotion that I couldn't quite place, that caused a momentary pause in my actions. I slipped my hand out of his and continued onward.

I was led to a jeep where we were all piled in. The driver I would later discover was the warden.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Miss Porter," Dr. Crowley said, taking the front seat. "But my car is currently out of commission." There seemed to be a touch of sarcasm in that comment that I didn't quite understand. The others seemed to get the joke however, making me feel even more isolated than before.

Dr. Sheehan held the small door of the jeep open for me and I slid to the end of the seat. He got in next to me followed by Naehring who expectantly sat behind Crowley. It was clear that the two worked very closely.

"No inconvenience at all." I said, giving up trying to be comfortable and simply resting my arm on the door and the other awkwardly in my lap. Dr. Sheehan was pressed close to my side and by the look on his face I knew he felt the awkwardness of the situation too. It wasn't that I particularly minded, but a different scenario would have been better than being crammed up against a stranger. A pretty good looking stranger mind you, but a stranger none the less.

Looking to the side, I watched the trees as we passed by. The foliage was really very beautiful. Just as I was forgetting the current company I was keeping Dr. Crowley flawlessly snapped me out of my daydream.

"You are a social worker, are you not?" He called back to me from the front seat.

I blinked in surprise and came back down to the real world. His question finally registered in my mind,

"Yes, in a fashion." I answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Naehring asked, actually sounding interested. I was a little surprised that he spoke. Perhaps he wasn't as subdued as I had thought.

Biting my lip I could feel all of the doctors' eyes on me now,

"Well my work here is seen as a special sort of case." I explained, trying to tread lightly. "Although my visit is to decide what should be done for your patients to improve your facility, this visit is also being treated as an investigation. I'm sure you at least had some idea of that… didn't you?" I finished, looking around at the men, hoping to god that they knew that last bit already.

"Yes, we did. What would the usual spiel be like if this wasn't a 'special' case, as you call it?" Crowley asked. Dr. Sheehan's head snapped up to look at Dr. Crowley. He was probably surprised that he was being so forward with the one who was in charge of evaluating them. I must admit I was probably even more surprised myself.

With a bit of a chocked laugh I sad, "You really cut to the chase don't you?"

Dr. Crowley's expression remained unchanged, "Yes. We have to know what were dealing with, Miss Porter. If you intend on shutting us down, we have to know in order to defend ourselves."

"I'm acting as an inspection agent, Dr. Crowley," I began. "I make sure all government run facilities are spending their budgets wisely and working for the best interests of the American people. Sometimes government funding has to be suspended and facilities have to be shut down. We wish that we had enough money to be able to afford every program but unfortunately things just don't work that way." I said droning on in a sarcastically scripted manner- sounding as if I recited everything from a handbook.

Dr. Crowley sniffed in annoyance at my response, "Yes, well this may be a game to you Miss Porter, but it certainly isn't one to us."

My brow knit in confusion as I said, "I never thought it was Dr. Crowley, the stakes are high on my end as well. As long as I get the information I need, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Very well," He said, his tone slightly clipped.

I pursed my lips and looked back out at the scenery. So far this was turning out to be a very undesireable job.

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AN: Hey, hope you all like this chapter! Please remember to review!!! :)


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